The U.S. Government filed a 10 page complaint Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts that challenges key provisions of the Massachusetts state spill legislation enacted in the wake of the April 2003 Buzzards Bay spill.

The suit asserts that the state law "impermissibly seeks to establish an overlapping and competing legal regime" over vessels operating in state waters.

The suit says that recommended routes for oil barges are already designated, that requirements for tug escorts are set by the U.S. Coast Guard, and that drug testing is set by federal law.